New Ricordea- Not sure it's doing well.

D

Drix

Premium Member
I picked up a ricordea yesterday afternoon- Normally I avoid these like the plague but my impulses got the better of me. It went in the tank last night after about an hour of drip acclimation and a quick dip. Yesterday evening it seemed shriveled with a open mouth which I didn't think was unusual, but there's no improvement tonight (24h later). Was wondering if anyone had some insight:

Tank specs
Sg: 1.024
Temp: 77f
Phosphate: 0
Nitrate: <5ppm
PH 8.4
dKH: 10.9
 
Drix said:
I picked up a ricordea yesterday afternoon- Normally I avoid these like the plague but my impulses got the better of me. It went in the tank last night after about an hour of drip acclimation and a quick dip. Yesterday evening it seemed shriveled with a open mouth which I didn't think was unusual, but there's no improvement tonight (24h later). Was wondering if anyone had some insight:

Tank specs
Sg: 1.024
Temp: 77f
Phosphate: 0
Nitrate: <5ppm
PH 8.4
dKH: 10.9
Click to expand...
I've have seen mine doing that a couple of time and this was generally when I changed its location.

Sent from my ASUS_Z00AD using Tapatalk
 
so I would look at flow and lighting. I start mine in lower flow areas and lower light areas. slowly move them to where they may ultimately reside in the tank.
 
My riccordia like light. They stick pretty well as long as you don't blast them with direct flow. I suggest moving it front center. More light.
 
The gaping mouth is not a positive sign. Has the mouth been like that, or recent development or just does it from time to time.
With gaping mouth hard to see the tentacle structure.
Do the tentacles go right to the mouth or is there a little separation between the mouth and the tentacles?
https://youtu.be/_ug9aQFkYBo
 
divewsharks said:
The gaping mouth is not a positive sign. Has the mouth been like that, or recent development or just does it from time to time.
Click to expand...

The mouth has been like that since I put it in the tank on Wednesday.

divewsharks said:
With gaping mouth hard to see the tentacle structure.
Do the tentacles go right to the mouth or is there a little separation between the mouth and the tentacles?
Click to expand...

When I bought it I would have sworn that the tentacles stopped before the mouth, however, the LFS had literally just got it in so it was slightly hard to tell and now while I still want to say there's space it's hard to see with the gaping mouth. I've seen this video about 10x now, when I first got it I was 100% convinced it was a Florida, but in this picture https://i.imgur.com/BnVx1FN.jpg I'm no longer convinced. Although not talked about in the video, it seems the Yuma has tentacles more in a row, where the Florida seems more random. I have much more row-like tentacles, but nothing that I would say is larger or smaller than the other.
 
Both Florida ricordias and Yuma do not transport well however ricordias mostly come around after 2-4 weeks and remain strong and multiply, whereas Yumas do not adjust as well. Have no idea why this is so.....I had an orange and purple one just settle a couple of days ago and he has been in the tank for 5 weeks....but now looks great....
 
Drix said:
The mouth has been like that since I put it in the tank on Wednesday.



When I bought it I would have sworn that the tentacles stopped before the mouth, however, the LFS had literally just got it in so it was slightly hard to tell and now while I still want to say there's space it's hard to see with the gaping mouth. I've seen this video about 10x now, when I first got it I was 100% convinced it was a Florida, but in this picture https://i.imgur.com/BnVx1FN.jpg I'm no longer convinced. Although not talked about in the video, it seems the Yuma has tentacles more in a row, where the Florida seems more random. I have much more row-like tentacles, but nothing that I would say is larger or smaller than the other.
Click to expand...

at first glance it looks like a yuma to me, but without seeing the mouth, cannot be certain. I would just err on the side of caution. Yumas as mentioned are plenty more sensitive initially. I start all of mine in the shade. They may sit there for weeks adjusting, but you will see be able to see them settle in, mouth is not gaping, they spread open absorbing more light and possible grabbing the bits of food floating by.
At that point I begin bringing them out further into the light, once they are adjusted they can almost reside anywhere in the tank.
 
you got a yuma bro! maybe you need some more phosphate, and put it in a shaded area, it will get fluffy when its happy
 
rvareef said:
you got a yuma bro! maybe you need some more phosphate, and put it in a shaded area, it will get fluffy when its happy
Click to expand...

Yeah I was worried about that.

I left the lights off all yesterday so the tank was subject to regular room lighting and some direct afternoon sun for about half an hour. I found at times yesterday the ric's mouth was fairly well closed, but is still open almost all the time. Last night I peeked before bed and I would have said the mouth was about 10% open.

Getting fairly mixed results for suggestions. I think my mode of operation is going to be to leave the Yuma where it is and shade it even more heavily than it is now, once I see signs of stretching I'll start upping the light levels.

I had though of turning off the pumps and trying a direct feeding of it, anyone have any thoughts on the matter?
 
Just leave it alone....Yumas take more time to adjust than ricordias, Yumas thrive in some tanks and die in others with similar conditions....
 
Today's timeline:
9p- returned home from work, lights hadn't been on in tank for 48h. Yuma was closed up, mouth and all (pics to follow). Turned the lights on for the sake of some of the other corals and mouth opened and it expanded again.

11pm:
SG: 1.024
Temp: 77
Ca: 380
Mg: 1200
dKH: 9.8

Yuma currently mouth open 10%, disk wrinkled, not fully expanded but not closed either. Is in what I would consider "night time" inflation if it were any other coral. Yuma still shielded, in medium flow. I'm going to back the light shield off a little bit, nab a shower, and see if it puffs out more.
 
Last edited:
Just keep it shaded (you don’t need tank lights off- just put it under an overhang or the like). They can take a couple weeks (if not longer to settle in) and as mentioned, it may never. It is a very sensitive coral after collection and transport around the world. Light acclimation is a very important key.
 
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